1. Subject Matter of the Invention
The invention relates to system and methods for determining the operating status of an electrical system having a system controller and an actuator controller.
2. Description of the Known Art
Vehicles, such as automobiles, have a variety of passive and active safety systems protecting the occupants of the vehicle if the vehicle is involved in a collision. Active safety systems work to prevent accidents; they selectively actuate controllers that assist the driver in steering and braking the automobile to help prevent accidents. If the controllers are not operating properly, they can degrade the ability for the driver to control the automobile, which may lead to an accident.
Prior art solutions generally utilize a single electronic control unit for processing signals and controlling actuation. This relies on a single electronic control unit to failsafe itself by cross checking its control and signals. This electronic control unit typically will contain additional logic to make sure it is operating properly. This logic can become quite complex because the electronic control unit is often the only system processing this information in this context and relies on self-checks to insure proper operation.
Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art after a review of the following description, with reference to the drawings and claims that are appended to and form a part of this specification.